Geophysical prospecting device



Feb. 10, 1953 C. F. SELLERS GEOPHYSICAL PROSPECT ING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 22, 1946 3 NR .M w. 0 Jim 5 E C. f Y a 1 m .2 6

Feb. 10, 1953 SELLERS 2,627,727

GEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING DEVICE Filed 001;. 22', 1946 :5 Sheets-Sheet 2 c. E SELLERS INVENTOR.

A TTORNE YS Patented Feb. 10, 1953 QEQl11X3lQAL-BROSPECTING DEYIQE .1

CleruilIe El Banco, Colombia), South;

&- Claims. I;

This invention relates to geophysical prospeata mg and more particularly. to'i g me -rev obtaining prospecting; data, insubmeiggeq area v ascentain the location and extent of-subsurface-gem logical structures favorabl to the location of valuable deposits suchas oil,; and, the; like.

In geophysical prospectiu water covered area-s, as Joymean of the, gravity:- meter; the magnet t r n f kel n t u nla; it; 51 2? per v a c n i ns-qtsta fl wbe establis so that pr r ns r n nts i s m m anarsub sequent read n :mm the irgstrunaenam y b ad here the .subine e ng m iilm shal it ha been pmp seii q st b ishr ui able sup orts restin u on e submerge snr ace and; poss s in suifi ien s bi ity that. r adin s can-be had from n nstrumen s pn rteclther m, m1. above toeater- Thi mtwedureandmh'e P ent s s'e'dvv n re1y'i.. a mlate when th. ater is rough an cann t b u ed t a lwbenqthfe wa er is consid rab e de th.

r ent, inv ntion intended o enable the use. of any conve tional?"nt sa ct ng in tme ment, particularly the gravitymet gby l the. i s rum nt t ether withba 0P m rge ace where .a-stab e cq tab i hed, and I he desired: ,obsexzvaticusgn are niaidawithffa fliw.andia racxe. Malte'sa c flza y h binventio compreh. ads the nmv sionpi;

a submersible chamber or bell which maybelowered from a water borne vessel. auprospecting i s rument, and Operate? bei ai ousea W th n such enclo ure. and ac li esa e e-promedso. that, coordinated control or, lifiii ngand lowering of the device. can bemai tai edh An important objector ,thes'iuyentionjs to provide prospecting means. "which, euable facility and accu cy in Obtaining iniqrmat q cqncerm mf o o ical stru tur sgunderl M tes-sub: merged surfaces;

Another abject is. to,v provide a ,device f the class. herein described that, will enable the, loba taining of instrumentreaq esat submerg ce regardless, e piha sl fas b reip medium;

Ma e and more speqi hie t at ttre-inv n tion. st ro ide asuhm dapt d t en ose a prospe aannerator, therei hal position upon a submerged-Tammie hl re 0b -v servations. a eto be made-r Still another, Qbiect .qf. the. mxeati a ist'a pravide a completely enclosed ubmet b1e- .Qnam r v i ustrumer rt .aii d e t, iaclu iina m ans: I01: co taining. t

buoyancy thereof to facilitate mam; and lower w ableftb a ta le (OIJEGI-EBS) 2 v mg of the d i e an t e t s s a li y the eof, pon a1s bme if' :f

Itis also an objeet'gte-proviqe"aqsubmersible chamber or hell having afdepending skirt and means cooperating therewith? tofacilitatethe entry of waterintdsuch skirt a nd, the break ing away of the el amber frombottom'when the bell-is to he. lifteuifrom the submerged surface.

T eg ing;o ie sii lfi ii h; h r j ects and advantages olfinventionl-wfll be ore ful yp are t immi vlIicwme de c i tion considerediu co u withthe-accompanying dra in s n'wh. V

g.v 1 is a. erti a seet oaalv e mcus bell em dy iaflhe n enti 2 F r 2 a plan i w' 0t. babel! takea n in a v a .c 'l itl na bail; ri antalviewiitaken rl ne +4 n Fig. 11'; and,

Fi 5 is a de ai shew-mama arr n eme o the l sk rt e g t n elements 'forthe eH, an he a d e wombare somease wh r prospecti i rrie out. ua ngoozy s bmergedesurfaccs.

Except-as otherw s qualified ie erm u mersible chamberf; or the word'fbelli" as. used. r in, comm-2e1 am,s; an enclosure i gr an ope at r and a prospectina nstmme qowerable: to r t upon asabm'eraed's r tha reptr adings may be, made withrthe, nstrgmeutgatthat, sur, face.

Referring to v the drawings, a 7 sub'x n'ersible chamber or. hell embodying the, .inve tion is shown 7 at and.- comprises. inner and outer con-- centrictubes 2 and} closedat, their lower end-s by a plate 4 whereby. there. termed au-Iin ner' operating chamber. 5' and an; outer floodable m r 6-1 he nner chamheri provided spac for the operator andtheinstrumentysuch as a gravity meter, vmagnefcometer,, any} the, like and; also .houses'thavariouseq trols. accessible to the operator-s v h amb rjfi s a sed at; i JtQn b th nl r" v nl'ate i h, is. surmbunted. by a ring 8 about the'upperfenqj ofthe 't oe' 2'; A cover" assembly: 9*1ncludes annu I t0 havingjlip l I complementary to a" groove I 25in v the ring 8,; it being'intended thatthe'interfltting of the lip and. groove with suitable packjrrg therebetween shall form a seal when the a-ssemblyis secured in place .by'eye-bolts l5 pivoted'inears Won-the cover plate 1. These ege-bolts m y Joe swung to a. v rt a ms tmn to en eitelqtsi 1x the a nulus 10 somat-ti htening or the winged 'nuts 1 a 'bn the exterior of the chamber will efi'ectively close the chamber 5 against the intrusion of water when the device is submerged.

In order that the operator within the chamber 5 may have means'of escape from within the chamber, the assembly 9 includes the cover plate which fits sealably upon the annulus Ill and is releasably held in place by the spider assembly 2! arranged about the shaft 22 upon collar 23 which is releasably held in place by the hand wheel 25 upon the shaft. The arms 2| may obviously be released from engagement on the nether side of the annulus 10 by rotation of the hand wheel whereby the cover plate may be moved from its position to provide egress from within the chamber 5.

A bracket 25 on the side of the bell I supports the davit 26 provided with a jack screw 2? at its inner end engageable with the eye 28' located centrally on the exterior of the cover assembly 9.

Suitably located upon the cover plate -20 is a boss 38 which is closed by a transparent window 3! held in place by the gland member 32.

Ordinarily the cover assembly 9 will be handled by means of the davit construction to place the assembly in closing position or to remove it from such position. Such operation is carried out from the exterior of the bell. If, however, for any reason it becomes necessary for the operator within the chamber 5 to provide egress of his own volition, the cover plate 20 may be removed by actuating the wheel 24 and then dislodging the cover plate from its position.

If there is considerable pressure on the exterior of the bell at such time, the removal of the cover plate 20 may be facilitated by actuating the valve in the conduit 36 which is connected to a source of high pressure supplied from the vessel with which the bell is used. This provides a super-atmospheric pressure within the chamber 5 and enables the operator to emerge through the opening provided by removal of the cover plate 20 together with a bubble of air which will emerge from the chamber.

The chamber 6 may be flooded at will by operation of any one of the valves 40, 4|, and 42 in conduits 43, 44, and 45, which conduits open at their opposite ends to the exterior of the bell and the interior of the chamber 6 respectively. In event one of such valves is opened, the air entrapped within the chamber 6 is released by operation of the valve 46 whereby such air is conducted from the interior of the chamber to the opening of the pipe 41 at the top of the bell.

It is to be noted that the conduits 43, 46, and are so arranged that their innermost ends are at different elevations. This arrangement permits selective unwatering of the chamber. Such unwatering is effected by opening the valve50 in the high pressure line 36 to admit air to the upper end of the chamber 6. If then, for example, the valve 40 is opened, water will be forced from within the chamber through conduit 43 until the water level falls to the inner end of the conduit whereupon further admission of air will only result in the flow of such air outwardly in the form of bubbles in the submerging medium, thus indicating that unwatering has progressed until a predetermined level within the chamber 8 has been reached. Similar additional unwatering may be effected by utilization of the valves 4| and 42.

Unwatering of the chamber 5 varies the buoyancy of the valve and thereby assists in controlling the lowering or the lifting of the bell, and also in breaking away from bottom as will more fully appear.

In some cases, particularly where prospecting is being carried out in relatively shallow water, the atmosphere within the chamber 5 may be relied upon to supply the needs of the operator during the making of a given observation. Such atmosphere may be supplemented by a supply of oxygen under the control of the operator and, if desired, a desiccant and a carbon dioxide absorber may be enclosed within the chamber. It is preferred, however, to provide for the circulation of air from the surface to and from the chamber, and for this purpose there are provided air inlet and outlet conduits 5| and 52, such conduits being connected to air lines leading to suitable control equipment at the surface. The air inlet conduit 5| serves also as a cable conduit for conductors such as 54 and 55 to provide telephonic communication with the surface and to supply electrical energy to the outlet box 55 whence such energy can be distributed as desired Iigor lighting and other purposes within the cham- Stability of the bell l is an important characteristic and features above explained to attain this characteristic are supplemented by the provision of tripod legs 5!] secured to the bell by any suitable method such as welding. When the submerged surface is relatively hard or rigid the weight of the bell will rest upon these tripod legs. If on the other hand, the surface is oozy as is frequently the case, the tripod legs will enter such surface to such an extent that a skirt 61' on the lower end of the bell will likewise enter the surface. This skirt provides an inverted chamber 62 into which air is trapped as the bell is lowered within the submerging medium. Such air may be exhausted by operation of the valve 83 in conduit 64 which opens at its lower-end Within the chamber. The suction effected by means of this construction likewise assists in stabilizing the bellwhen on location upon the submerged surface.

Stability is also enhanced by maintaining a low center of gravity in the bell. A weight 70 secured to the inner surface of the skirt 6| assists in accomplishing this purpose. This weight inay comprise a cast metal and is preferably of sad.

When it is desired to lift the bell from the surface upon which it is positioned, while an observation is being made, the suction occurring by virtue of the skirt El and the chamber 62 formed thereby may be broken by operating the valve H in the high pressure line whereby air is admitted under high pressure to the chamber 62. Such admission of air together with unwatering operations to increase the buoyancy of the bell, as above explained, enable lifting of the complete bell through the application of desired lifting force upon the bail 12 secured to cars 13 attached to the upper end of the bell.

The operation of the device of the invention is believed apparent from the foregoing descriptron. By way of summary and further explanation of the invention, it is assumed that suitable equipment is provided aboard an accompanying vessel to provide adequate hoisting effort, air pressures, and electrical energy. The cover assembly 9 is removed by means of the davit 26 for entrance of the operator together with the prosspecting instrument with which observations are to be made. The, cover assembly is then posi- 5. tioned upon the ring 8 and secured in place by tightening of the nuts I8 whereupon the entire bell is lowered by means of the bail 12 to location upon the submerged surface at which observations are to be made.

The valves 13 and 14 in the air lines and 52 are normally maintained open and air is circulated through these valves and the associated conduits in sufficient quantity to supply the needs of the operator within the chamber 5. Likewise, adequate air pressure is provided to the conduit 36 for performing the various functions required of such air pressure.

Buoyancy of the bell is decreased in the manner above explained by opening any one of the valves 40, 4|, or 42, and at the same time opening the valve 46 so that entrapped air may be released from within the chamber 6. Obviously this watering of the chamber 6 can be continued to any desired extent. The lowering operation is continued until the bell is in position upon bottom. If the submerged surface is of such nature that the tripod legs 60 enter therein, until the skirt 6| engages the surface, the valve 63 may be opened to exhaust air from within the inverted chamber 62 whereby stable conditions of the bell upon the submerged surface are obtained. Necessary observations are then made by the operator within the chamber 5.

When the device is to be lifted from the submerged surface, hoisting effort is applied to the bail 1'2. At the same time the valve H is opened to admit air to the chamber 62 to assist in breaking the suction existing by virtue of the intimate contact of the submerged surface with the interior of the chamber 62. At the same time, desired buoyancy may be effected by admitting high pressure air pressure through the valve 50 to the interior of the chamber 6 while one or more of the valves 40, 4|, and 42 are opened.

In event an emergency escape from within the chamber 52 is necessary, the valves 13 and 14 may be closed and super-atmospheric pressure introduced to the interior of the chamber 5 through operation of the valve 35. The hand wheel 24 may then be rotated to release the cover plate 20 whereupon such cover plate may be removed to permit egress of the operator from within the chamber 5.

Broadly the invention comprehends apparatus for geophysical prospecting in water submerged areas, such apparatus enabling the obtaining of information concerning subsurface geological structures favorable to the location of valuable deposits such as oil, gas, and the like.

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for making geophysical measurements in water covered areas comprising, a submersible bell adapted to be lowered to and rest upon the submerged surface, there being a chamber within said bell to accommodate the geophysical instrument and the operator therefor to obtain geophysical measurements when the bell is on bottom, a removable closure for said bell for ingress and egress of the operator and instrument when the bell is lifted to the surface of the submerging medium, a weighted skirt extending downwardly from the bell to enter the submerged surface and stabilize the bell during the taking of geophysical measurements, and a combination support and anchor means secured to said bell and extending outwardly and downwardly adjacent said skirt, said means comprising tripod legs adapted to enter the submerged surface and anchor said bell during the taking of geophysical readings.

2. Apparatus for making geophysical measurements in water covered areas comprising, a submersible bell adapted to be lowered to and rest upon the submerged surface, there being a chamber within said bell to accommodate the geophysical instrument and the operator therefor to obtain geophysical measurements when the bell is on bottom, means for ingress and egress to and from said chamber, means for admitting and exhausting air to and from said chamber, a weighted skirt extending downwardly below the bottom of said bell to enter the submerged surface and stabilize the bell during the taking of geophysical measurements, a combination support and anchor means secured to said bell and extending outwardly and downwardly adjacent said skirt, said means comprising tripod legs adapted to enter the submerged surface and anchor said bell during the taking of geophysical readings, and means for admitting air pressure within said skirt to release the bell from suction engagement with the submerged surface.

CLEMILLE F. SELLERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 962,019 Flood et al June 21, 1910 1,069,281 OConnor Aug. 5, .1913 1,109,145 Petit Sept. 1, 1914 1,380,750 Tesch June 7, 1921 1,415,661 Lemon May 9, 1922 1,681,533 Giliasso Aug. 21, 1928 1,916,294 Bacinich July 4, 1933 2,210,408 Henry Aug. 6, 1940 

1. APPARATUS FOR MAKING GEOPHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS IN WATER COVERED AREAS COMPRISING, A SUBMERSIBLE BELL ADAPTED TO BE LOWERED TO AND REST UPON THE SUBMERGED SURFACE, THERE BEING A CHAMBER WITHIN SAID BELL TO ACCOMMODATE THE GEOPHYSICAL INSTRUMENT AND THE OPERATOR THEREFOR TO OBTAIN GEOPHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS WHEN THE BELL IS ON BOTTOM, A REMOVABLE CLOSURE FOR SAID BELL FOR INGRESS AND EGRESS OF THE OPERATOR AND INSTRUMENT WHEN THE BELL IS LIFTED TO THE SURFACE OF THE SUBMERGING MEDIUM, A WEIGHTED SKIRT EXTENDING DOWNDARDLY FROM THE BELL TO ENTER THE SUBMERGED SURFACE AND STABILIZED THE BELL DURING THE TAKING OF GEOPHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS, AND A COMBINATION SUPPORT AND ANCHOR MEANS SECURED 